How does Anne Meara's "garden" grow? It grows in four different directions, with the possibility of an infinite number of variations.

In her provocative new work at The Minetta Lane Theatre, Down the Garden Paths, Meara has set up a seriocomic construct which allows us to see how a fictional show business family named Garden might have evolved if one moment in their lives had happened differently--a central idea that lies somewhere on the continuum between that of the classic film It's a Wonderful Life and the newly released The Family Man. While a fantasy, the play is still deeply rooted in the reality that every action has a reaction.

Meara, known primarily as an actress/comedian (h[...]